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Fort Wayne Gryphons

Regular Season 2018

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UWS Stars Shine In NCAA Championships

12/05/2018, 3:15pm EST
By Admin

Nine current & former stars raise DI & DII championship trophies

METUCHEN, NJ - The Fall 2018 season in the NCAA concluded this past weekend with the crowning of national champions in the Division I & II ranks. Both finals saw pulsating contests that were decided by slim 1-0 margins. Florida State University won their second-ever College Cup title over the University of North Carolina while the University of Bridgeport topped perennial DII powerhouse Grand Valley State University for their first-ever NCAA championship. United Women's Soccer (UWS) talent dotted the championship sky, as five league alumni suited up for Florida State and four for Bridgeport. Even more (eight altogether) competed for the runner-up UNC Tar Heels and GVSU Lakers. 

"Congratulations to Florida State University and the University of Bridgeport on their respective championships!" said UWS Commissioner Joe Ferrara, Jr. "Its great to see so many players from United Women's Soccer excel with their collegiate programs. We take pride in preparing players for their fall competitive seasons."

Seminoles defender/midfielder Olivia Bergau, midfielder Deyna Castellanos, defender Natalia Kuikka and midfielder Emily Madril starred for the Santa Clarita Blue Heat during the 2017 season, helping the team reach the UWS National Final. Castellanos was the 2017 UWS National Player of the Year while Kuikka was named the UWS West Defensive Player of the Year. Both players were also All-UWS First Team selections. FSU goalkeeper Brooke Bollinger patrolled the net for the Orlando Kicks in 2018, who took part in a provisional season in the newly-formed Southeast Conference. UNC forward Alex Kimball suited up for the Real Salt Lake Women this past summer.

Purple Knights midfielder/forward Maegan Doyle, midfielder/forward Marieke Kramer and defender Karoline Vieira played for the New York Surf during the 2018 season while forward Elin Eklund had a great season with the Rochester Lady Lancers. Eklund was named to the 2018 UWS East Second Team for her efforts. Grand Valley State fell just short of a sixth national championship title (which would have set a new DII record) but the Lakers should still feel proud. Seven GVSU stars have taken the pitch in our national pro-am league, led by 2018 Midwest Defensive Player of the Year & All-UWS First Team honoree Olivia Trombley and All-UWS Second Team midfielder Riko Sagara.

Trombley and Sagara starred for Lansing United this past summer, as the first-year organization won the regular season title in the Midwest Conference and fell one win shy of qualifying for the UWS National Championship. Lansing United were named the 2018 UWS Co-Organization of the Year alongside Calgary Foothills Women's FC. Midfielder Darline Radamaker (Detroit Sun FC), defender Sydney O'Donnell (Michigan Legends FC), defender Cecilia Steinwascher (Detroit Sun FC), forward Corey Sawall (Lansing United) and goalkeeper Callie Rich (Fort Wayne United) round out the rest of league alumni who wore GVSU Lakers colors this past fall.

About United Women's Soccer (UWS): We are a national women's soccer league sanctioned by U.S. Soccer. UWS is a professionally operated league created for teams that meet high minimum standards. The season runs from May until the end of July, culminating in a National Championship match. The UWS player pool is comprised of college players, aspiring & former professionals and international stars. You can follow UWS on social media on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.

Media can contact the UWS Communications office by e-mail at UWSPress@gmail.com. You can visit the league's official website at UWSSoccer.com. Interested team applicants can contact League Commissioner Joe Ferrara, Jr. by e-mail at Joe@UWSSoccer.com.

Fall Update: College Awards Season Starts

11/01/2018, 6:00pm EDT
By Admin

In our first recap, over 20 UWS stars nab All-Conference honors

METUCHEN, NJ - United Women's Soccer (UWS) member teams take pride in helping student-athletes reach the next level of their respective soccer careers over the summer months. Recently, awards season has started in the collegiate ranks and current & former UWS stars were recognized for their efforts in their fall competitive seasons. In this first edition of our collegiate awards recap, we highlight over 20 UWS standouts who were honored with All-Conference plaudits. Conferences included in this edition are the ACC, Big Ten, Big 12, Conference-USA and Mid-American Conference. Further recaps will follow in the coming days.

Notable names in this edition include: Florida State University stars Deyna Castellanos & Natalia Kuikka, 2017 UWS Player of the Year and 2017 UWS West Conference Defensive Player of the Year, respectively; C-USA Goalkeeper of the Year and Long Island Rough Riders shot-stopper Kelsey Daugherty; C-USA Freshman of the Year and Indy Premier SC star Hannah Tillett, a 2017 UWS Midwest Conference selection; MAC Offensive Player of the Year and WNY Flash forward Erica Hubert; MAC Freshman of the Year and Michigan Legends midfielder Tatiana Mason; and, All-MAC First Team selection Carissima Cutrona, who is a 2017 & 2018 All-United Women's Soccer First Team honoree for the WNY Flash.

Atlantic Coast Conference First Team
F Deyna Castellanos (Florida State Univ. - Santa Clarita Blue Heat)

Atlantic Coast Conference Second Team
D Natalia Kuikka (Florida State Univ. - Santa Clarita Blue Heat)

Big Ten Conference Second Team
MF Charlotte Williams (Penn State Univ. - Western New York Flash)

Big Ten Conference Third Team
F Mykayla Brown (Indiana Univ. - Indy Premier SC)
MF Natalie Winters (Univ. of Iowa - Detroit Sun FC)
D Madison Pogarch (Rutgers Univ. - Detroit Sun FC)
D Chantelle Swaby (Rutgers Univ. - New England Mutiny)
GK Rachel Egyed (Univ. of Maryland - TSF Academy)

Big Ten Conference Freshman Team
MF Talani Barnett (Ohio State Univ. - New York Surf)

Big 12 Conference Second Team
D/MF Paige Welch (Oklahoma Univ. - FC Austin Elite)

C-USA Goalkeeper of the Year
Conference USA First Team

GK Kelsey Daugherty (UAB - Long Island Rough Riders)

C-USA Freshman of the Year
Conference USA First Team
Conference USA All-Freshman Team

MF Hannah Tillett (Middle Tennessee State Univ. - Indy Premier SC)

Conference USA Second Team
MF Miah Zuazua (Southern Miss. Univ. - North Texas Image)
F Annie Walker (Rice Univ. - Detroit Sun FC)

Conference USA Third Team
MF Amber Hoot (Middle Tennessee State Univ. - Fort Wayne United)

Mid-American Conference Offensive Player of the Year
All-MAC First Team

F Erica Hubert (Bowling Green Univ. - Western New York Flash)

Mid-American Conference Freshman of the Year
All-MAC Second Team
All-MAC Freshman Team

MF Tatiana Mason (Ball State Univ. - Michigan Legends FC)

Mid-American Conference First Team
F Carissima Cutrona (Univ. of Buffalo - Western New York Flash)
MF Alyssa Burke (Western Michigan Univ. - Detroit Sun FC)
D Morgan Abbitt (Bowling Green Univ. - Toledo Villa)

Mid-American Conference Second Team
F Lexi Pelafas (Central Michigan Univ. - Lansing United)

Mid-American Conference Freshman Team
D Tess Ford (Univ. of Buffalo - Western New York Flash)
MF Ashton Cassel (Univ. of Toledo - Detroit Sun FC)

About United Women's Soccer: UWS is a national women's soccer league sanctioned by U.S. Soccer. UWS is a professionally operated league created for teams that meet high minimum standards. The season runs from May until the end of July, culminating in a National Championship match. The UWS player pool is comprised of college players, aspiring & former professionals and international stars. You can follow UWS on social media on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.

Media can contact the UWS Communications office by e-mail at UWSPress@gmail.com. You can visit the league's official website at UWSSoccer.com. Interested team applicants can contact League Commissioner Joe Ferrara, Jr. by e-mail at Joe@UWSSoccer.com.

2018 UWS All-Midwest Conference Awards

08/01/2018, 9:15am EDT
By Admin

LAN's Trombley, Crist take home DEF POY and Coach award, Evans nets OFF POY

METUCHEN, NJ - 2018 was the second season of play in the Midwest Conference and there was a slightly new look to the division in this campaign. Three of the four playoff teams from 2017 returned to the postseason but expansion side Lansing United set the tone from start to finish and won the Regular Season crown with an unbeaten record. But, defending UWS Champions Grand Rapids FC Women spoiled Lansing's party by taking home the Conference Playoff title and advanced to the National Championship weekend for the second straight year.

Midwest Conference Offensive Player of the Year - Dani Evans (Detroit Sun FC)

An all-conference performer in 2017, Dani Evans posted a fantastic 2018 season en route to earning the Midwest Conference Offensive Player of the Year. The former Oakland University product led UWS in assists with eight and helped guide Detroit to their second straight postseason appearance. The Sun's balanced attack was keyed by Evans all season long as the team had 14 different goal scorers during the regular season and Evans, who had three goals in her own right, contributed offensively in eight of the teams' ten matches. She wraps up her second season in UWS averaging a point per game in 20 career regular season matches.

Midwest Conference Defensive Player of the Year - Olivia Trombley (Lansing United)

Lansing United finished their inaugural UWS campaign going unbeaten in the regular season with a 7-0-3 record and advanced to the Conference Playoff Final. A large reason for Lansing's defensive success was the work of Olivia Trombley. The rising sophomore, who will feature for perennial NCAA Division II powerhouse Grand Valley State University this fall, played every minute of every match and proved to be a great target off set pieces as she netted three goals during the regular season. In a memorable first season for Lansing, she will be a player that the organization will look to build around for years to come.

Midwest Conference Coach of the Year - Jason Crist (Lansing United)

It's never easy to take over an expansion side, let alone being in a conference that sent two teams to the 2017 UWS National Championship Weekend. But Jason Crist recruited a very strong unit to wear the Lansing jersey for their first endeavor in UWS play and turned a lot of heads with their quick transition game and strong tactical awareness on the field. In addition to the teams' unbeaten run and Regular Season title, Crist also guided six players from his team to earn All-Midwest accolades, the most among any team in the conference.

2018 UWS All-Midwest Conference First Team

GK: Annabelle Hegeman (Genesee FC)

D: Olivia Trombley (Lansing United)

D: Sadie Misiewicz (Grand Rapids FC Women)

D: Athena Biondi (Lansing United)

MF: Dani Evans (Detroit Sun FC)

MF: Grace Labadie (Grand Rapids FC Women)

MF: Riko Sagara (Lansing United)

MF: Alia Frederick (Michigan Legends)

F: Cindy Lay (Grand Rapids FC Women)

F: Aubrey Schierbeek (Lansing United)

F: Lexi Pelafas (Lansing United)

2018 UWS All-Midwest Conference Second Team

GK: Grace Kraft (Lansing United)

D: Melissa Roy (Grand Rapids FC Women)

D: Justine Lynn (Detroit Sun FC)

D: Rachel Washburn (Michigan Legends)

MF: Rachel DeLuca (Detroit Sun FC)

MF: Megan Trapp (Michigan Legends)

MF: Marti Corby (Grand Rapids FC Women)

MF: Allison Jorden (Indy Premier SC)

F: Tori Singstock (Detroit Sun FC)

F: Madison Schupbach (Detroit Sun FC)

F: Jennifer Borawski (MIchigan Legends)

Iron Woman of the Year (Player who played every minute of every match)

Olivia Trombley (Lansing United)

2018 UWS Team of the Week selections (Combined by Team)

Detroit Sun FC:

           GK: Madison Clem (Week IV hon. mention)

           DEF: Justine Lynn (Week I), Jackie Mazzara (Week II hon. mention, Week VI)

           MID: Dani Evans (Week I, Week VIII, Week IX), Abby Allen (Week V), Rachel DeLuca (Week VII, Week X hon. mention)

           FOR: Madison Schupbach (DET, Week I, Week IV)

Fort Wayne Gryphons:

           MID: Amber Hoot (Week III)

Genesee FC:

           GK: Annabelle Hegeman (Week II, Week III hon. mention)

           MID: Ashlyn Skidmore (Week VIII)

Grand Rapids FC Women:

           DEF: Melissa Roy (Week I, II), Sadie Misiewicz (Week X)

           MID: Grace Labadie (Week III hon. mention, Week IV), Bailey Kohorn (Week IV hon. mention), Marti Corby (Week VI), Samantha Maher (Week X)

           FOR: Jodian Morris (Week III), Cindy Lay (Week IX)

Indy Premier SC:

           MID: Allison Jorden (Week VII)

Lansing United:

           DEF: Olivia Trombley (LAN, Week I hon. mention)

           MID: Aubrey Schierbeek (LAN, Week I, II, VI), Riko Sagara (Week IV, Week VII)

           FOR: Lexi Pelafas (Week V, Week X hon. mention), Corey Sawall (Week VIII)

Michigan Legends:

           GK: Isabel Nino (Week VII)

           DEF: Alia Frederick (Week III)

           MID: Megan Trapp (MI, Week I)

           FOR: Jennifer Borawski (Week II hon. mention, Week VIII hon. mention)

About United Women's Soccer:

UWS is a national women’s soccer league sanctioned by U.S. Soccer. UWS is a professionally operated league created for teams that meet high minimum standards. The season runs from May until the end of July, culminating in a National Championship match. The UWS player pool is comprised of college players, aspiring & former professionals and international stars. You can follow UWS on social media on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.

Media can contact the UWS Communications office by e-mail at UWSPress@gmail.com. You can visit the league’s official website at UWSSoccer.com. Interested team applicants can contact League Commissioner Joe Ferrara, Jr. by e-mail at Joe@UWSSoccer.com.